Male Vs Female Runners

Do Women or Men Pace Marathons Better?

You're about to feel really proud of your PR.

Do Women or Men Pace Marathons Better?You're about to feel really proud of your PR.

Maridav/Shutterstock

This article was written by Amby Burfoot and repurposed with permission from Runner's World.

Women haven't been running marathons nearly as long as men, but they have taken well to the sometimes choppy waters. Indeed, they often seem to finish strong and smiling. Decades ago, marathon gurus began advising inexperienced marathoners to pick out a woman runner who looks comfortable and "pace yourself off her."

Now science and statistics have proven the value of this approach. A new study of more than 91,000 marathon finishers from 14 marathons (all in 2011) has shown that men slow significantly more in marathons than women. "The sex difference in pacing is robust," the investigators conclude in Medicine & Sport In Science & Exercise. "It may reflect differences in physiology, decision making, or both."

The new research looked at results from Chicago, Disney, Philadelphia, and 11 other marathons. The subjects had an average age in the late thirties, with 41.5 percent being women. They completed their marathons in an average time of 4:28 (men) and 4:54 (women).

When the researchers analyzed halfway times versus final times, they found that the men slowed by 15.6 percent in the second 13.1 miles, compared to 11.7 percent for the women. This held true in all 14 marathons. They also noted that women were 64 percent less likely to experience "marked slowing," i.e., "hitting the wall," than men.

Four "experience variables" were linked to relatively successful marathon pacing for all runners: years of running experience; prior marathons; prior races at any distance; and fastest previous marathon. The data-gathering approach used by the researchers—pulling finish results from large websites—did not allow them to ascertain any information on the runners' marathon training.

The most intriguing question raised by this analysis is: Why do women pace marathons better than men? The study authors raise several varied explanations. It could be that men burn through glycogen faster, that women are better able to tap into stored fat supplies, or that women have more fatigue-resistant muscle fibers. All these findings have emerged from other studies.

Then there's the politically incorrect notion that women are less competitive—they don't try as hard. Or that men are just plain stupid—they overestimate their ability and start too fast. Which is it?

"You can come up with physiological reasons, but it’s hard to understand how they could have such a large effect," co-author Michael Joyner, M.D., told Newswire. "There's a ton of social psychology thinking that men are perhaps more competitively reckless than women. Having spent my life around high-achieving men and women, I believe we've simply confirmed that more men are knuckleheads."

Run the Women's Health RUN 10 FEED 10 Race in New York City on September 21—or take part in one of our other runs around the country, or even sign up to run your own 10-K! You'll feed 10 hungry people in your neighborhood just by signing up.